CWA Canada and CAJ launch new journalism award for excellence in labour reporting

Source: cwa-scacanada.ca

Has your journalism advanced the Canadian public’s understanding of a labour issue? Have you been creative in telling stories about workers and their unions? Has your story had an impact on policy or law?

The Canadian Association of Journalists is pleased to announce there’s now an award for that — the CWA Canada / CAJ Award for Excellence in Labour Reporting.

This new award is being jointly sponsored by CWA Canada and its biggest Local, the Canadian Media Guild.

The award will be presented at the CAJ’s annual gala, to be held at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto on April 28, 2012. A $1,000 prize is up for grabs for the top labour-related reporting in either of Canada’s official languages.

“Labour reporting has played a vital role over the last century in highlighting workplace and social injustice and bringing progressive change,” says CWA Canada Director Martin O’Hanlon. “This award will honour and encourage reporting that shines a light on issues that affect millions of working Canadians.”

Submissions will be accepted from Canadian journalists, with priority given to stories on Canadian labour events and issues. The full details on eligibility criteria and how to apply will be released as part of the CAJ Awards package before the end of the year and will be posted at www.cwa-scacanada.ca, www.cmg.ca and www.caj.ca.

The new award joins the annual CAJ awards program, which recognizes the nation’s top investigative journalism across all media and excellence in journalism in several other categories.

“We’re proud to have CWA Canada and the CMG join our awards program,” says CAJ President Hugo Rodrigues. “This new award fits in well with our other award categories in rewarding and promoting journalism that makes a difference in the lives of Canadians.”

The CAJ is Canada’s largest national professional organization for journalists from all media, representing hundreds of members across the country. Its primary roles are to provide high-quality professional development for its members and public-interest advocacy.